Notes from the Nike Cross Nationals -2019

By Michael Newman

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Portland – Athletes competing in the Nike Cross Nationals toured the race-course at Glendoveer Golf Course and liked what they saw.

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Favorable reviews came from the athletes as they warmed up on the course on Friday morning.

Where there were marshy portions of the course in the past were dry. A dryer than normal last month in the Portland area has guaranteed that.

“Last year when we approached the final 150-meters of the course, we would have needed spikes to get up that hill. It was so soft,” Wheaton South XC Club runner Jacob Kluckhohn said. “This year, there was no problems. This course is in great shape.”

Evan Holland of Ashland OR echoed the comments of Kluckhohn about the course.

“I remember last year that the grass seemed to be longer and the footing was soft,” Holland said as he did strides by the 2-mile point of the course. “The course is solid, and the grass is much shorter.”

The conditions could change just before race time. A 50% chance of rain is predicted in the area in the afternoon with a possibility of rain overnight. A 90% chance of rain is predicted for the start of the Boys race at 10:00 AM PST.

Portland Weather Forecast

Thursday at the Nike Cross Nationals is a day for teams to travel from their hometowns to the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus in Beaverton.

It is a wow time for the athletes that have never raced in this meet. A huge Nike Cross Logo standing close to eight feet high greets the runners as they depart their bus and walk into the center.

The big moment of the afternoon is the athletes receiving their meet gear in a regal presentation that Nike sets up for. Any runner that has competed in this meet has talked about the moment years after they have raced here.

Even the runners that have heard about but never experienced it come out of the auditorium where it takes place with a huge smile on their faces.

Thursday is a day of shakeout runs for most after long flights. Most athletes head to the Michael Johnson “Track in the Woods” on the south end of the campus to run strides and again wowed by their surroundings.

Katelynne Hart of Glen Ellyn IL has been to this meet four times. She did find a trail on Thursday that she had never been on before. And no, she did not get lost like she did at the beginning of the year at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

She returned to the Tiger Woods Center with a smile on her face.

Athletes on Thursday and Friday were in and out of the Athletes Lounge in the center relaxing, having fun, and making memories. That is what this event is all about.

They all will be making different kind of memories on Saturday morning.